The Year in Books July

It's been feeling a little like the Mad Hatters Tea Party around here.

I can't believe we are already approaching the second week in August and I have not yet posted about my books from July.

It has been a busy time around here and most of the time I still feel a bit like the white rabbit that I am going to be late for a very important date.

I managed five books through the month of July.

Perfect Daughter is the latest offering from Amanda Prowse.  I lovely this ladies work, everything from the covers of her novels to the characters she creates.  Perfect daughter is about Jacks Morgan, a wife, mother and carer for her elderly mother.  She covers all the everyday goings on that happen in normal family life for some of us, but in her usual sensitive way of writing. 

Take Me Home is the second novel of Daniela Sacerdoti that I have read.  It is set back in Glen Avich and is a story of love, loss and rediscovery. Inary Monteith is at a crossroads. Still trying to put her life back together after a broken romance from three years ago.  Inary Monteith returns to Glen Avich to say goodbye to her sister who is coming to the end of a long illness, but whilst there gets the chance to find out things about herself she had long forgotten.

 Still Alice is the second Lisa Genova novel I have read.  Alice is a successful Professor at a University, travelling all over the country giving lectures.  She has everything she could have wanted and yet this is all about to be taken away from her as she is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers at the age of 50.  As I am a lady of a similar age to the character of this book you can imagine how many times I have compared myself to Alice's character whenever I forget things or can't place a word.  

    

Like so many I had eagerly awaited the release of Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman. To Kill A Mocking Bird is one of my all time favourite books.  Go Set A Watchman is set twenty years later and Jean Louise is now a young woman.  She has returned home to visit her elderly father but she is about to realise the man she idolized as a child may not be quite as perfect as she had always thought. I read this one in a matter of days not able to put it down.  I did enjoy it but if I had to pick I think To Kill A Mocking Bird is still my favourite.

What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge, was my return to childhood read for July.  I read all the What Katy Did books as a girl and went on to share them with my own daughter.  What I hadn't realised is that Jacqueline Wilson,also a lover of these books, has written a modern take on this classic novel. It will be interesting to see how she interprets Katy in the modern day. 

And so it is decision time which of these will I choose as my book of the month?

It's funny I can more or less have an idea of which one it will be before I have finished reading them all but actually this month it's turned out not to be the one I thought it would be.

My book of the month for July is 

I am continuing to take part in Laura's Year in Books Project 2015 if you want to take part just click on the link.

Happy reading one and all

Mx

The year in Books May 2015

It has been another bumper month of reading here at The Willows.  

A mixture of books and kindle reads 10 books in all this month.

From the bookshelf 

1. The Girl on the Train - Paul Hawkins
2. The Forgotten Garden   - Kate Morton
3. We are all completely beside ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
4.  The Dark Witch Book 1 of the O'Dwyer Trilogy - Nora Roberts
5.  Behind Closed Doors - Susan Lewis
6. The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz - Denis Avey

From the Kindle

                                         

                             

                                   

1.  The Villa  - Rosanna Ley
2.  The Missing Half - Brooke Powley
3. The Love of My Life  - Louise Douglas 

And not forgetting this months return to my childhood read 

1.  Rikki-Tikki Tavi - Rudyard Kipling 

If you haven't had a chance to catch up with what I have been reading over the last month and want to know my thoughts you can click on the link above and it will take you back to my post. 

There have been some that I have loved, some that were OK but I wouldn't read again and are destined for the 'To go to the charity shop'  shelf.  Thankfully there weren't any that were so bad I couldn't wait to get to the end or even worse they were so bad I couldn't finish. 

They were all very different but my favourites this month have definitely been 

The Forgotten Garden  is Kate Morton's second novel and although she got great reviews for her début  novel The House at Riverton  I think this one is far better. I base this judgement on the size of the box of tissues required - BIG

I think everyone has seen or heard about The Girl on the Train. I heard about it whilst driving home listening to Simon Mayo's book club when Paula Hawkins came along to give a synopsis of her book.  I had put off reading this one as sometimes when a book is so hyped up I can be left disappointed when I actually come to reading it.  That definitely was not the case and if this is Ms Hawkins first attempt at writing fiction I can't wait to see what she will produce in the future.

And lastly I had downloaded The Missing Half sometime ago onto my kindle when Amazon had one of their 99p  sales.  It is Brooke Powley's début novel which can sometimes be a bit like Marmite can't they you either love them or hate them.  Fortunately I loved this one and everywhere I went my kindle would go just in case I got five minutes to spare and I have now downloaded her two follow on novels which I suppose should give you some idea of how good her first one was. 

So if you have clicked on to the link to my previous posts you will now understand my dilemma of which of the three to choose as my book of month. You don't want to read one really good book in a month followed by those that are a bit mediocre just to make the choice that little bit easier but I really think I have given myself a bit of problem this month. I have chosen to have two books as my book of the  month before now but I think choosing all three would be a little excessive don't you. Even a nice cup of tea in my favourite cup & saucer together with three biscuits has not made the job any the easier. 

But in the end I decided to go for

 The Missing Half  by Brooke Powley

So it is Goodbye to May and Hello June and hopefully some nicer weather than we have been having of late. Judging by my bookshelf/kindle  there is a whole lot more reading to be done over the summer months and it would be nice if some of that reading time could be spent in the garden with a nice glass of white.

Happy Reading one & all

Mx

The Year in Books April

My April reads started off on my kindle. In 2013 I read Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper. It was brilliant so I knew I would at some stage catch up with other works of Kate Morton. The House at Riverton takes us back to the Summer of 1924 when on the eve of a glittering society party tragedy strikes when a young poet takes his own life. The only witnesses two sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford who never speak to one another again. In the Winter of 1999 Grace Bradley one-time housemaid at Riverton House now aged 98 is approached by a young TV director to tell her story of life at Riverton.  In telling her story Grace fears that she will reveal secrets that had long been forgotten even though Grace never could.  I have to say this was another book I just could not put down.  I was going away for a few days and thought with 612 pages this book would last me the duration.  How wrong was I.  I just couldn't put it down and could be found reading it as every given opportunity.  I like the style that Kate Morton uses combining the present with the past so effortlessly.  I have another two books by this author which I feel sure I will enjoy in equal amounts.

The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Filer. This is the story of Matthew who suffers with Schizophrenia. The narrative is told by Matthew himself. He begins by telling you about his brother Simon, who is three years older than himself and has down syndrome.  Whilst on a family holiday Simon has a fatal accident.  I'm not giving too much away here as you learn this on the first page.   This appears to be the beginning of Matthews illness.  He goes on to describe how the death of his brother not only affected him but his parents and extended family from the age of 8 through to adulthood.  The sad reality is that there are many adults with this illness and although Nathan Filer's book highlights the condition giving more insight on mental health and the loss of a family member, I am not sure whether it would benefit them. I know it has been critically acclaimed and has won numerous awards especially as this is a debut novel.  It was because of this that I wanted to read it but in all honesty I can't say that I agreed with all the hype. I am sure there will be others of you who will think it was absolutely brilliantly written and you may well be right. It may just be that this one just isn't for me. Sorry....




Watch Over Me - Daniela Sacerdoti. Eilidh and James were best friends as children, then Eilidh moved away.  Their lives took different paths. James fell in love and had a child Maisie who is now the love of his life. The relationship with her mother though didn't work out and now James raises his daughter alone. Eilidh is in a marriage in trouble.  With five failed IVF attempts the last resulting in a miscarriage has left Eilidh desperate, whilst her cheating husband has sort solace in another. Eilidh decides to go away for awhile. She packs a bag leaves a note for her husband and her parents and sets off not knowing quite what direction she will go.  She finds herself heading towards the little village in Scotland where she spent her early years and the place she felt the safest. Her aunty Peggy is over the moon when Eilidh knocks at her door and insists she stay with her for as long as she felt necessary.  Eilidh and James paths cross, as they do in all good romances, and even though it was a bit of a will they won't they  and a few dramas along the way you secretly hope that they will find love again in each other. It was a lovely romantic interlude in my Spring reading selection of books.  I hadn't read anything by this author before and it popped up in as a kindle special and I liked the story line. I have another novel by this author on my kindle and look forward to reading that one soon.

Ring of Bright Water - Gavin Maxwell has been my return to my childhood read for April. I don't remember what age I would of been when I first read Gavin Maxwells memoir of living in a remote cottage in Scotland with his Otter Mijbil (Mij for short).  I had long forgotten that Mij was not a native Otter and that in fact Gavin Maxwell had bought him back from Basra after visiting Iraq.  When he first arrived back in England Maxwell lived in a flat in London which he soon realised was not the ideal place to have an otter.  He got in touch with a friend of his in Scotland who ran an estate and happened to have a cottage that was in need of renovation but would be ideal for Maxwell and his companion.  Maxwell lived there with Mij for a little over a year when sadly Mij died.  Maxwell did go on to have other otters whilst he lived at Camusfearna but none could take the place of his beloved Mij.  There are three books in all but I chose to read the first and most famous Ring of Bright Water. It was Ring of Bright Water that went on to be made into a film of the same name starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers.

Now I know I am voracious reader but it was at this point that I have to tell you that having pulled a muscle in my back due to coughing, I have spent time in bed propped up on pillows as it was the only way in which to get comfortable.  Having caught up on all my catch up TV what else do you do in this situation but read.

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by  Anna McPartlin  tells the story of Mia Hayes, known as Rabbit, who has been battling against breast cancer for the last four years.  We meet Rabbit as she is coming to the end of her journey.  Although the title is The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes the story essentially is centered around Rabbits family and friends and how they are dealing with the prospect of loosing their daughter, sister, mother and friend, revisiting childhood memories and growing up in Dublin. Although this is obviously a very emotive subject  Anna McPartlin has written it with such sensitivity but at the same time with a lot Irish humour thrown in.  I hadn't read anything by this author before and this one  was given to me for my birthday by a very good friend who knows the my type of reading  very well. In fact my friends are getting to know what I like just a little too well as I ended up with two copies for my birthday but that was soon remedied by way of a quick exchange. I absolutely loved this book and would definitely recommend it.   It is definitely up there as one of the best books I have read so far this year and I will definitely be looking at other novels written by this author.

The Invention of Wings - Sue Monk Kidd Set in the 1800's in Charleston South Carolina Sarah Grimke is the middle daughter who lives with her parents and 10 siblings.  On her 11th birthday she is appalled when she is presented with her own slave as gift. A young girl the same age as Sarah called Handful (Hetty) Grimke.  Sarah is set to cause herself a heap of trouble in her belief that slavery should be abolished.   Sarah's one true goal is to be able to make Hetty a free women. Each of the girls stories are told in alternating chapters following their contrasting lives from young girls to middle aged women.  Although fiction The Invention Wings is based on the life of Sarah and Angelina Grimke who eventually became orators, educators and Quakers who became the first American women advocates of abolition and women's rights.   This is the second Sue Monk Kidd novel I have read and it was every bit as good as the first.  If you have an interest in area of history it is definitely worth reading.

Reasons to Stay Alive - Matt Haig was 24 when his world came crashing down. He had never experienced any episodes of depression and anxiety before. He describes the day all that changed as being 'the day the old me died'.  It has taken Matt Haig thirteen years to be able to write his account of how living with depression affected his life and how eventually he got to the point where he could live with it.  For anyone who has had depression and anxiety, myself included, they will tell you that you never feel completely free from it, it is always there bubbling away beneath the surface, you just have to take control of it rather than it taking control of you. For the most part that works, the downside being that you have to have traveled that path in the first place in order to know.  Matt Haig is now an accomplished writer and lives with his wife Andrea, who has been by his side throughout his journey, and their two children.   I first heard of this book when listening to Simon Mayo's Radio Two book club, whilst travelling home from work. For anyone who doesn't listen to his show he invites authors on to his show to be interviewed about their latest work and listeners are picked at random to read and give their opinion on the upcoming read.  Matt Haig was very honest about how he had got through the dark days of depression and how he is now thirteen years on.  The listener reviews were very positive. I decided that if I were to spot a copy of the book I would get it and I am glad that I did.

My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult had been residing on my bookshelf for sometime.  I had seen the film years before with my daughter.  Having read the book herself my daughter passed it on to me with the comment, the ending is completely different to that of the film and you'll never guess what happens at which point I stopped her otherwise there would have been no point in reading the book.   It was because I had her words still firmly fixed in my brain that I then put off reading it until now so as not to spoil my enjoyment of reading the book.  Even though I knew the storyline I was still engrossed in the book and finished it within three days.  For anyone who doesn't know the story it is set around the Fitzgerald family. Mum Sara is a Lawyer but hasn't practiced since she had her children, Dad is a Fireman and then there are the three children, Jesse who is the eldest at 18, Kate 16 and Anna 13.  For most of Kate's life she has suffered with a rare form of Leukaemia.  Anna was conceived as donor baby when Kate initially relapsed and the cord cells from Anna were used to save Kate.  At that time it was thought that this would be the only time Anna would need to donate but Kate went onto relapse again and each time Anna was used as her donor.  At the stage where we meet the family for the first time Kate has gone into renal failure from all the treatments she has endured. Their mother assumes that Anna will wish to donate a kidney and is therefore shocked when Anna instructs a lawyer to sue her parents for medical emancipation.  As with all Picoult books you get to know each of the characters within their own chapters and each flows to the next effortlessly.  She is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors and as she is such a prolific writer I still have many more to choose from.

Time to Say Goodbye - Katie Flynn sees three young girls evacuated from Liverpool to the country during the war. They stay with the local publican and her neice.  The story follows the girls adventures and the friendships they make. Although they have exchanged Christmas cards over the years they haven't seen each other in 20 years. At the time you don't know what path the girls lives have taken in that time  In the first chapter we meet Immi decides to invite her friends to a 20 year reunion. It is whilst she waiting for her friends to arrive that she reminisces about her time in the country and so their stories begin to unfold.  I did enjoy this novel, but I did feel it was a little slow in places and in some instances a little The Famous Five but without the lashings of ginger beer.

The Kid - Sapphire.  As part of my March reads I read the book PUSH by this author. It was the novel PUSH that inspired the film Precious. At the end of PUSH Precious Jones is left raising her son and seems to have her life back on track even though she has been diagnosed with HIV.  At the beginning of her sequel The Kid you discover that Precious has lost her battle against her illness and the opening chapter is set with her nine year old son preparing to attend his mothers funeral and not quite understanding whats happening.  I was in my naivety hoping that all would come good for JJ.  I had found PUSH to be quite harrowing at times but nothing had prepared me for how harrowing and how graphic in her descriptions of sexual abuse were going to be in the sequel.

The Boy That Never Was - Karen Perry is the last of my April reads. It is another recommendation through Simon Mayo's book club.  Harry and Robin lost their 3 year old son Dillon during an earthquake in Tangiers, his little body was never found. Five years on they are now living back in Ireland when Harry sees a boy of eight or nine and is convinced that this boy is his son.  This is a brilliantly written novel and I was hooked from the first page to the last.  I never saw the drama program 'Missing' that was shown recently but from what I have been told if you enjoyed 'Missing' you will definitely enjoy  The Boy That Never Was.  From other reviews this novel is also known as 'The Innocent Sleep' not sure why the two different titles unless it depends on which country you reside.  Karen Perry has another novel out in June and it will definitely be on my wish list.

As per usual I have picked a book of the month.  Even though I have read so many great books again this month there was definitely one that that stood out and that was

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes

Anna McPartlin

Happy reading one and all.

Mx

PS 

Just to remind you that I am taking part in Laura's The Year in Books Project 2015 and if you would like to know more information about taking part then click on the link below.

The Year in Books Project

The Year In Books March 2015

Well here we are again at the end of yet another month of glorious reading. By the time I did my post The Year in Books -  Spring Collection  on the 11th March I had already read my way through  Precious Thing & A Mother's Story from my book shelf  and The Legacy of a Cornish Spring and We Bought a Zoo from my kindle and was partway through Rosemary Penfold's A Field Full of Butterflies.

I have to say that the second half of the month continued at the same pace as the first starting with  Diane Chamberlain's  The Midwife's Confession the story begins with the death of Noelle. When her two closest friends Tara and Emerson start to sort through Noelle's things they discover a letter containing a secret about there friend. The letter reveals a secret that challenges everything they thought they knew about her.  Noelle had been a Midwife for many years, she was the women her two friends trusted the most to deliver their babies. Her suicide has shocked them both but what  they are about to uncover will shock them the most and sets them on a journey that could change their lives forever.  

I had never read a Diane Chamberlain novel before, this one was given to me as a Christmas gift. When I first read the back cover I wasn't quite sure whether this was going to be my kind of read but I couldn't have been more wrong and I really enjoyed every page and found I just could not put it down.  I have since purchased another novel by the same author to join the many others that are in residence on the bookshelf.

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe -  is the second of the stories written by  CS Lewis  and was my March return to my childhood read.  I have at some stage read all the Chronicles of Narnia books but this one has always been my absolute favourite and it is most likely the reason for my love of myth and magic. 

PUSH by Sapphire is the story of Clarice Precious Jones a 16 year old girl who has never been outside of Harlem.  She has become pregnant for the second time by her father and has been kicked out of school. She is placed in a teaching programme where she will learn to read and write. Sapphires novel went on to be made into a film called Precious. I have never seen the film but the book certainly is very emotive and at times hard to follow as it has been written in the language used by the kids slang.  It is very graphic in places around the abuse that Precious endures and I'm not sure that it would be everyone's kind of read.   I had purchased The Kid by Sapphire sometime ago only to discover that this was the sequel to PUSH . I therefore decided I would have purchase and read PUSH first.  The Kid is on my list of Spring reads but I'm not sure that I am ready to tackle another emotive novel such as this just yet as I am sure it will be just as explicit in it's content as PUSH. 

The Oyster Catcher - Jo Thomas is set within the Oyster farming community of Galway in a little place called Dooleybridge.  Fiona Clutterbuck finds herself stranded in this little community. when her husband has barely let the ink dry on the Marriage Certificate he announces that he cannot live a lie and runs off with the best man. The only thing Fiona is left with is her sequinned shoes and a crashed campervan.   When the opportunity arises of a job working for Sean Thornton local Oyster Farmer she jumps at the chance hoping this will give her the spring board to a new life and a chance to forget her extremely short lived marriage.   I found this a light relief after PUSH it was a little slow in places but overall it was a good read and would may be have suited someone of lesser years than myself. But would still recommend it especially as a holiday read you could definitely pick up where you had left off with this one. 

Goodbye Dearest Holly - Kevin Wells. I feel sure that everyone within the UK and possibly even beyond will remember the horrific murder of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. These two ten year old girls left Holly's home on the 4th August 2002 never to return alive.  This is Kevin Wells account of what happened in the days following the girls disappearance, the discovery of their bodies and the fight to get justice for the girls making sure that Ian Huntley received the sentence he deserved. 

As always I like to pick a book of the month and this month I have to say I have struggled to make that decision as I have read so many good books this month. 

I still think the one that stands out for me this month is

                                                   

                                                A Mother's Story by Amanda Prowse. 

Don't forget, if haven't done so already,  you can still take part in Laura's Year in Books Project by clicking the link below

The Year in Books Project 2015

That's it for now and I look forward to seeing what everyone is reading in April. 

Happy Easter one & all.

Mx

Year in Books February roundup

There really is nothing better than a Sunday morning with a cup of tea in your favourite cup and a good book. This Sunday was no exception.  It's been a cold windy time across the Fens with occasional cloud bursts. There have been times when I have wondered if my little cottage will still be in the Fens when I awake with the howling gales we've had of late. 

This month has been another busy month of reading. I was given Kate Mosse's The Mistletoe Bride and other Haunting Tales as a gift for Christmas.  I had previously read her novel Winter Ghosts both books were very good, but this one was very easy reading as it was an collection of short stories and usually meant I could read a story a day. I would go on and read more of her writing in the future. Lulu Taylor's  The Winter Folly had been sitting patiently on my Kindle for a while.  I really enjoyed this book immensely. It was quite an emotive book in places. I liked the fact it covered two time periods covering the 60's and 70's and present day. The story is written around the Stirling family and the tragedy that surrounding the family. When Delilah marries John Stirling she decides she needs to find out what exactly did happen to his mother that would haunt him into his adult life. I would definitely recommend this one as a good read.  Sarah Butler's Ten Things I've Learnt About Love is her debut novel.  The story is centered around two main characters Daniel a homeless man and Alice who has returned home from her travels when she learns her father is gravely ill.  These two characters have one common link Alice's mother and through Ms Butler's writing you follow each of their journeys discovering just what it is that connects the two. Marjorie Celona's Y is set in Canada telling the story of a young girl who was left on the steps of the YMCA when hours old.  This is her journey to find the truth about her parents and why she was abandoned. A little predictable in places but overall a good read.   This year I challenged myself to re visit some of my favourite books from my childhood.  Anne of Greengables from The Complete Collection by Lucy Maud Montgomery, was one of my all time favourites. I downloaded the complete collection for just 99p on my kindle and as it contains all 10 books I thought this was an absolute bargain.  For now I have read the first of the books which is entitled Anne of Greengables and tells you Anne's story from 11 - 16 years. The remaining 9 books take you on Anne's journey through life up to the age of 53.  For those of you that don't know the story of Anne Shirley, she is a young orphan girl with the biggest imagination possible who is adopted by  a brother and sister Marilla and Mathew Cuthbert. I still think all little girls should read the Anne Shirley stories in their childhood.  I will certainly go on to read the remaining books at some time in the future. 

As for War Horse I've read this over a couple of days. It is my daughter's 21st this coming week and we are off to London next weekend for a mum and daughter weekend. Whilst there we are going to two shows Mamma Mia (daughter's choice) and War Horse (both our choice).  I had seen appearances of the puppets (I always have to remind myself they are puppets as they are so life like) on many occasions since it first went on the stage but had never had the opportunity to see it that is until now.  I have purposely avoided seeing the film and waited until now to read the book so that I knew the whole story before we go that way I can immerse myself in the stage show.  As you can imagine we are very excited. I don't see my daughter often as she is at Uni so this will be an especially exciting weekend for the both of us giving us the chance to spend some quality time together.

I think I have saved the best of my February reads until last.  The Supremes at Earls All You Can Eat is the début novel by Edward Kelsey Moore and my book of the month. If you liked The Help you will definitely love this one.  It tells the story of three middle aged women who have been friends since high school. They were nicknamed The Supremes as teenagers by Big Earl when they frequented his diner all those years ago. They have been through everything together, love and loss good times and bad.  Seeing each other through some of the toughest times in their lives.  It's just as it says on the cover of the book The secret to life is friendship and their friendship has survived some 40 years.  I loved the way in which Edward Kelsey Moore was so 'in tune' with these three women and their character, so much so that they could be real, it will make you laugh and it will make you cry but it is definitely a must read in my book. The only downside is with this being Edward Kelsey Moore's début novel there aren't any others to seek out. YET  I just hope it won't be too long before he releases a further novel.

What have your favourite reads been this month?

Now it's decision time. Time to make my selection of books for my Spring reads.. I know Spring doesn't officially start until the end of March but here at The Willows  it's going to start next week, especially as the first of my Daffodil's has opened.

Decisions, decisions so many great reads do I have enough years left to read them all. 

Happy reading one & all. 

Mx

The Year in Books - January

Well it's been somewhat of a kindlefest here this month, with 6 out of the 9 books read have been on my Kindle or the iPad using the kindle app.

Just before Christmas I started Broken Angels by Graham Masterson only to realise within the first few pages that this was book two of four.  So I stopped and immediately downloaded White Bones. Come Christmas morning I then discovered I had been given a further eight books one of which was The Great Christmas Knit Off. Well with it being Christmas I felt this one needed to be read immediately so ended up with two books on the go at the same time.  Now normally I don't do that as I would normally confuse the stories and in turn would confuse myself (which doesn't always take a lot let me tell you).  But as they were so completely polls a part I didn't think I would get the two story lines mixed up.

The Great Christmas Knit Off.was a great little read very much a chick flick sorted of book and a little a long the lines of Bridgett Jone's diary.  If it were ever to be made into a film and I had to pick the actress to play Sybil I think it would have to be Joanna Page (of Gavin & Stacey fame).

Then it was back to the Graham Masterson Katie Maguire series of books in earnest.  I was totally immersed in White Bones & Broken Angels they were brilliant reads and the twists in the stories were fantastic.  I was definitely left needing to know more about Katie Maguire and what was going to happen in her life next.  The third in the series Red Light was good but not as good as the first two. Lastly I read Taken for Dead which in my humble opinion let the series down and was certainly less believable and more predictable in places.  There is a fifth book due out in Autumn of this year but until I see the synopsis I'm not sure that it will be a must have download.

This year I set myself challenges, as I do every year, I can't do resolutions as I know inside of three weeks I will have given up where as challenges seem to work for me.  This years book challenge is to re read some of those books I enjoyed reading in my child hood and that of my children.  January kicked off with The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett. This was always one of my favourites every since I was at primary school and my then teacher Mrs Rose read it to us. From then I was hooked and when my daughter came along many years later it was one of the books we shared whilst she was growing up.  In fact since telling her about my challenge and which book I had picked as my January read she has now unearthed her own copy and is re-reading it again.  Who knows one day she may a daughter of her own to share it with.

The Winter Ghost - Kate Mosse was another dowload to my Kindle, I have always liked ghost stories and was looking forward to reading this one.  I was not to be disappointed. I was what I would call an easy read in as much as I could pick it up at varying times and not loose the thread of the story. I had sort of guessed the twist in the story but you were left not knowing for sure until the end which is just how I like my ghost stories to be.  I was given Misteltoe Bride for Christmas which is now in the queue for reading.

As I have already said,  and probably posted, I was given eight books this Christmas and I'm now going to tell you about another two. I think most of us thought it very sad when Lynda Bellingham lost her fight against cancer towards the end of last year. In her book  There's Something I've Been Dying to Tell You she talks openly about her diagnosis and the impact it had on her and her family but in her usual light hearted manor without a bleak moment with in it and I'm sure it was her humor that got her through to the end.  The book stops at the point she makes her decision to stop any further treatment.

Now as you know from the selection of books that I read each month I like to pick a book of the month and my book for January 2015 is Kristin Hannah's Winter Garden. It tells the story of two sisters and their elderly parents. One sister was a stay local to mum and dad, married mum of two daughters and works in the family orchard business, the other is a high flying photojournalist, who travels all over the world.  Their mother has never really shown them love and affection and now as adults they struggle to show her any love and affection  back.  Throughout their childhood their mother used to tell them a fairy-tale of the  Black Knight, the Prince and the Peasant girl. The girls loved this story so much that they decide one Christmas to do the story as a pantomime. Their mother becomes very distressed and never repeats the story, what the girls hadn't realised was that the fairy-tale was actually the story of their mother before she had married their father.  When their elderly father becomes ill he tells his wife now is the time that she must finish telling their girls the story.  This takes the three women on a journey of discovery and for their mother to finally discover the truth.

This was a truly un-put-downable book and wherever I was you would find the book in my hand.

And there we are fast approaching the end of the first month of 2015, I wonder what other great reads we will discover this year.

Don't forget if you haven't already had a chance to check out Laura's Circle of Pine Trees Blog where she is hosting The Year in Books Project 2015. It's not too late to join in the fun of sharing your the books you read and you may find some great recommendations there too. 

Mx

Year in Books Project December update

Well Christmas is over again for another year

&

another year is almost upon us.

I thought I would take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for

2015

Over the last month I have continued working my way through the books piled up next to my bed.

When I last posted I had started reading Broken Harbour by Tana French. It is a crime thriller set in Ireland. I thought this one would be quite promising.  A young family are attacked in their home leaving the husband and two children dead and the wife badly injured.  Right from the beginning you are left trying to decide whether it was the husband who attacked his wife and children, a spurned lover or indeed the wife.  Unfortunately it was quite predictable in places and seemed to go on forever, I think the book could of been half the amount of pages if I'm honest and would probably have held my attention much better.

I then moved on to The Rosie Project  by Graeme Simison, so many of you had read this one and from your recommendations it sounded just my kind of read.  I have to tell you, you didn't let me down. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I loved Don's character he so reminded me of some of the Consultants I work with and could have been modeled on my D.  Although it is never said that he is Aspergers I think by the end of the book you can pretty much take it as read that he is.  In order to really understand this book you have to know or indeed live with someone on that colourful spectrum of ASD/Aspergers to really understand Don.  I am so glad there is a sequel to this book and I will definitely be continuing the lives of Don and Rosie in the Rosie Effect sometime soon.

A List of my Dersires  was a  bit of bridge between books for me but it certainly made me think about what my list of desires may be if I were to win the Lottery.  I have to thank Jo Through the Keyhole for sending me this one. 

Lesley Pearse's  Stolen & Till we meet again were my book swaps with my bookswap buddy at work.  She had forwarned me that I might find them a little predictable.  Stolen was about a young girl found on a beach who upon examination would appear to of recently given birth. She had no recollection of how she had come to be washed up on a beach and no recollection of having had a baby.  Till we meet again was a story of revenge for the death of a child and what lead a mild homely women to take such action.  I thought both these books were very good and not as predictable as I had lead to believe.  Certainly I hadn't guessed the twist in Till we meet again. 

Christmas for One  by Amanda Prowse was my Christmas read and as per usual Amanda did not let me down. I have been a follower of the work of Amanda Prowse right from her first novel Poppy Day.  In this her latest novel she takes up the story of Megan who featured in her novel A Little Love released in February this year.

One Night Only tells the story of fading soap star Helen Redford from her humble beginnings to her attempt to make a come back to stage and screen.  A very entertaining read but not one that gripped me, more a holiday read.

Lastly was my last remaining return to school read.  Throughout 2014 I have been re-reading some of those books we were made to read at school.  Some I have loved and others I have loathed.

Decembers read was Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Unfortunately this turned out to be in the loathed category.  I didn't remember anything about it from school until I started reading it again and I soon remembered it as not being one that I particularly enjoyed at school.  Uncle Tom's cabin was about slavery in the American South and how they were treated at this time.  

As usual I like to pick on as my book of the month and for December I think I have to agree with so many of you in picking 

The Rosie Project  by Graeme Simison

I have loved taking part in The Year in Books Project run by Laura at Circle of Pine Trees. I am so pleased she has decided to continue with the project in 2015.

All that remains is for me to wish you all a Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing which books come up next year.

Mx

November Reads Update

November has been a busy month all round at The Willows with visitors to the cottage and a flying visit down to Cornwall for a 50th Birthday. 

So here we are at the end of Autumn and Winter is about to begin.  I know we've had some very autumnal weather but mixed in with that we have been spoiled with some quite mild weather for the time of year.  It's not often you can say that you were on the beach in Cornwall in your jeans and T'shirt on the 1st November is it. 

So to my November reads. 
This months reads were a mixture of Kindle and book.  
As much as I like the convenience of a Kindle I still like the feel of a book.
With it being the month of remembrance I decided I would go for books that to remember those who have been involved in the WW1 and WW2 and those who are still involved with conflict today.

It's All About Treo - written by Dave Heyhoe about his time as a dog handler in the armed forces and his bond with his dog Treo, who always came first. This was a good book for me to read now as my son chose not to tell me too much about what he did in Afghanistan in order for me not to worry, but sometimes that made it harder.  I have now gleaned a lot about what he would of been doing out there and I am now glad he didn't elaborate too much.  Dave Heyhoe has now left the armed forces and Treo retired from active service. He now lives with his fiance and at the time of writing the book they were expecting a baby and of course Treo is with them. 

Soldier Wives - Fiona Field is ex armed forces and now a full time novelist. I had high hopes for Soldier Wives and although it was a good read it certainly didn't have me gripped and in places it was a little too towiesk with Jenna's character. 
It may have been more suited to someone a little younger than my 51 years, I was left a little disappointed. 

The Poppy Factory - Liz Trenow's fictional story of a young army medic struggling to come to terms  with what she witnessed whilst in Afghanistan was brilliant. When Jess returns home and finds she cannot cope she turns to her mother.  Her mother gives her, her great grandmothers journals to read.  The journals contain her everyday thoughts on coping with a husband returning from the first world war.
 At times you forgot that this was fiction and definitely worth reading. 

The Military Wives Wherever You Are - contains 25  true accounts by military wives and at times you will require the tissues to be within easy reach. These are the same military wives who with the help from Gareth Malone went on to form The Military Wives Choir.

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas - is John Boynes fictionional story of Bruno a nine year old boy who befriends a young jewish boy.  Bruno's father is a high ranking officer in the German army and is in charge of one of the concentration camps. Bruno being a little boy doesn't fully understand what it is his father does or what a concentration camp is he thinks it is some sort of farm. The two boys come up with a plan for them to be able to play together and this plan will change Bruno's  family forever.

Lest We Forget -    I had bought this book for D a few years ago, but I can't say that I ever remember him reading it. Somehow it ended up on my bookshelf and I decided to make it one of my November reads.   I am so glad I did. it is a collection of memoirs from those who lived through and survived the first and second world wars.
I chose to read a number of pages each day and with every story it made you appreciate just how much we take for granted now.  If you know anyone who has an interest in the first and second world wars it would definitely of interest to them. 

The Book Thief - Fiction - this one turned out to be completely different to what I had expected.  Lisel is a young girl  growing up in Nazi Germany. I had thought the story was to be how she rescued books for the Jewish people which were going to be burnt. I knew there would be more to the story than that but as the story unfolded it was almost like a Grimms Fairy Story that is the only way I can think of to describe it.  It was brilliantly written and I really enjoyed it.  I have since seen the film but thought the book was much better.  

My return to school read for November was 

Carries War - Nina Bawden Fiction
The story begins with Carrie and her children on a train to Wales where Carrie will be returning for the first time in 30 years. Carrie and Nick Willow are evacuated out of London during the second World War. They are placed with Mr Evans and his sister Louisa. Their friend Albert is staying at Druids bottom with Hepzibah Green and Mr Johnny and Mrs Gotabed the sister of Mr Evans and Louisa. This is the story of their adventures during their time in Wales and is a lovely children's story. 
If you never read this one as a child or you have a child age around 9 or 10 it would be a  story for you to share. 

As always I like to pick a book of the month from my reads and November has to be 




The Poppy Factory - Liz Trenow

I look forward to seeing what you are reading next month as part of The year in Books project.

Happy reading one & all

Mx